Examples of bad apples in a group: the passive-aggressive group eroder, the blunt/rude dominant, the controller, the slacker, the anti-establishment guy, the divide-and-conquer schemer, the arrogant fat head

Slide 9: Groupthink

Groupthink is a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment”.

Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanise other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making.

Cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink

Slide 10: How to explore team dynamics?

Listen to the way team members are communicating

Observe behaviours: can you recognise certain team roles? Who has an introvert personality, who’s extrovert?